We leave our bodies on a regular basis and live in the realm of the mind. We plan today… and tomorrow… we review the past. We ruminate. We try to figure things out. Our thinking and ruminating triggers a whole spectrum of emotions: happiness, sadness, fear, anger, pleasure, regret, satisfaction and longing. We are thinking and feeling but still not in our bodies.

It is so hard to stay in your body. It is hard to be present in THIS moment. One of the best ways of doing it is to attend to the realm of the senses. Try this….for five minutes see if you can stay with your senses: the sights, smells, sounds, taste and feel of what is happening in THIS moment. If your mind wanders off to the past or future, find one of your senses that can anchor you back in the present. What you are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling? For example, right now I can I see the sunlight and shadows moving on the deck, I hear the sounds of birds and a distant airplane, I smell the scent of cucumber lotion on my hands, I feel the soft fabric of my t-shirt on my skin, and I can taste the coffee I am drinking.

How does your body feel in this moment? Are you inhabiting every inch of it from head to toe? Is there some part you that feels numb or in pain or discomfort? What does that part of you want in this moment? How might you care for it? Many people and most women don’t like their bodies. Just for this moment, can you let your body be…..just as it is? Can you feel the breathe flowing in and out of you? Sense if you want to move or stretch and do so.

Take this moment and just be here…in this body….attending to all of your senses.

Which of your senses do you tend to ignore? Make a point of tuning in more to this sense today. Notice how much calmer you feel after you take this little sensuous break. Experiment with taking a e Sanctuary of the Senses break throughout your day.

If will increase your capacity to be present as well as your pleasure potential. See if you can develop this into a practice that you do rhythmically through the day…..a Sensual Spiritual Micro-Practice.